Education Overview

A new primer on public education sketches an overview of the nation’s schools that shows that nine out of every 10 K-12 students are educated in public schools, the country has more than 14,000 school districts, and more than 90 percent of funding for public education comes from state and local sources.

The report, produced by the Center on Education Policy, a research and advocacy group based in Washington, also says that more than 60 percent of public education spending goes toward instruction; more than a third of public school students are from low-income families; and high school students are taking more challenging courses now than they did in past years.